As we press toward the end of summer, they don’t call these hot weeks “the dog days of summer” for nothing. Whew! It can be hot! Earlier in the summer, we wrote a piece entitled Ultimate List for Keeping Your Pet Safe in the Heat. To expand on more hydration information, here’s a great set of fast tips and infographic to make sure your dog doesn’t suffer from dog dehydration, and we also have some tips for cat owners too!

It really is important to be preventive when it comes to water needs for your dog and cat. “These hot summer days can cause even the healthiest of pets to suffer from dehydration, heat stroke or sunburn,” said Willie Wallace, CEO of Radio Systems Corporation, makers of the PetSafe brand. “Therefore, it’s extremely important that pet parents take extra precautionary steps to help keep their pets healthy and hydrated this summer.”

The most important things you can do to keep your dog and cat hydrated are —

Provide a continuous water supply at home — if you have a particularly long time away from home on a hot summer day, you might even provide two water-filled stations for your pet to ensure there is enough hydration.

Bring along water when you go for an extended walk or car trip — here’s a Gulpy Water Dispenser that makes it easy to figure out how to give your pet water on the go.

Look into a fountain drinking station — dogs and cats like drinking from fresh, running water, which would encourage their hydration. Running water fountains made specifically as a pet drinking station are a great option, like the Drinkwell Original Pet Fountain from PetSafe.

Bring the pet inside — if it’s possible to have your pet inside during the hottest time of the year, it can help with water loss. Dogs and cats having internal cooling mechanisms via their paws and panting that go into overdrive when it gets so hot. At the very least, provide your animal shade if they have to stay outdoors. In our Ultimate List for Keeping Your Pet Safe in the Heat, we offer some additional tips and product suggestions for pets that are outdoors, like a cooling mat and pet canopy.

Check for dehydration signs — some pets just don’t drink enough. So, you do need to be on the look out for dog dehydration signs, and also with your cats. If you are concerned or notice dehydration symptoms that don’t subside, talk to your veterinarian. Here’s dog-specific tips from PetMD.com —

To check your dog for dehydration, pick up a fold of loose skin over the top of the shoulder blades, pull it up gently and release it. Watch for the skin to fall back into place. Under normal circumstances, the skin should quickly return to place without any hesitation. If dehydration is present, the skin will slowly return or may even stay up for a time before falling back into place.

Another place to look for dehydration is in an dog’s mouth. If the gums appear dry, sticky or pale, this is a sign of illness and dehydration. Dehydrated pets will also have dry, sunken eye balls and a dry nose and mouth.

Here’s a great infographic that shows why pets need to be hydrated even more than humans, and why they like drinking from running water —

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